After decades of mono-cropping and overgrazing, around 65% of Africa’s farmland is now considered unproductive or degraded, leaving more than 270 million people facing chronic hunger. But while there is general agreement that food security is a priority for Africa, how to achieve it is a far more polarised debate.

In February, the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Summit concluded in Kenya with the signing of the Nairobi Declaration by African heads of state. It included a fertiliser plan that, over the next 10 years, will triple the use of both organic and inorganic fertilisers across Africa….

For AFSA, which is a coalition of civil society groups and farmers, the answer to food security in Africa lies with the concept of agroecology, and combining traditional, local knowledge with science to restore biodiversity and build more resilient food systems. “Agroecology is modern science that uses indigenous ways,” he says. “It’s about working with nature, not against it.”

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